Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni is under pressure heading into the East Asian Cup
While Zaccheroni has mostly enjoyed a golden run during his three years in charge of Japan, including 2011 Asian Cup glory and a more-than-comfortable qualifying run to the 2014 World Cup, the former Milan, Inter and Juventus boss has suddenly found himself under scrutiny.
Japan lost their three matches at last month's Confederations Cup in Brazil, where they were in the tougher group that also included the hosts, Brazil and Mexico.
But their hard task didn't earn Zaccheroni much sympathy in Japan, and nothing less than East Asian Cup glory will satisfy fans of the Blue Samurai.
That's despite Japan fielding a second-string side due to clubs not being obliged to release players for a tournament being played on non-FIFA dates.
"Of course we'll be playing to win,” Zaccheroni told The Japan Times.
"But this is an experimental squad, and if I had to choose between winning with the players not being able to show what they can do, or not winning but finding that one or two of them have what it takes to play for the national team, I'd take the latter.
“We'll be up against three different types of teams. It's a fantastic competition, and we need to make the most of it."
Zaccheroni's squad includes five players from the Japan side that finished fourth at last year's Olympics.
In contrast, China are the only team at the four-nation East Asian Cup to be fielding virtually a full-strength team.
Also the only nation among the four that won't be at the World Cup next year, China are desperate to lift the East Asian Cup for a third time, having won the competition in 2005 and 2010.
Embarrassed after losing 5-1 to Thailand in a friendly, the Chinese Football Association sacked coach José Antonio Camacho in June and replaced him in an interim capacity with Fu Bo, who had previously guided his nation's under-22 team.